A friend just had a baby boy, and the name they love for him is very common right now. They're hesitant to give him that name because it's so common, even though they love it.

Thoughts?

I myself love having an uncommon name. (And a big story with my name.) But my boys both have common names. (One was extremely common until recently, and one is still very common.) If I'd had a girl, my girl names were all less common than the names my boys have.

I tend to feel like unusual names are easier for girls to carry than for boys to carry (at least here in the US), so a boy with a common name may not notice as much as a girl would.

I'd love to hear from people with common and uncommon names, and what you decided to give your kids. And why. Anyone?

The Fine PrintMy expertise is in helping people be who they want to be, with a specialty in how being a parent fits into everything else. I like people. I like parents. I think you're doing a fantastic job. The nitty-gritty of what you do with your kids is up to you, although I'm happy to post questions here to get data points of how you could try approaching different stages, because, let's face it, this shit is hard. As for me, I have two kids who sleep through the night and can tie their own shoes. I've been a married SAHM, a married freelance WAHM, a divorcing WOHM, a divorced WOHM, and now a WAHM again. I'm not buying the Mommy Wars and I'll come sit next to you no matter how you're feeding your kid. When in doubt, follow the money trail. And don't believe the hype.